Searcy Law Blog

Jury Sees the Truth About Tobacco Companies

In Alachua County, located in the middle of the Sunshine State, a jury heard evidence from Big Tobacco in defense of deceased smoker. They rendered verdicts totaling $16 million against Big Tobacco.

The jury did not believe Big Tobacco.

The spin, the deceit, or the rewriting history apparently did not help Big Tobacco.

Amanda Jean Hall sued Big Tobacco because cigarettes hopelessly addicted her husband, Arthur, and cigarette smoking led to cancer in as many as five areas of his body. Cigarettes killed Arthur Hall.

Dennis Murphy, one of Big Tobacco’s lawyers, told the jury: “The case is not about whether smoking can be addictive,” he said. “It can be. But not everyone who smokes becomes addicted.”

What Mr.Murphy left out is the history of Big Tobacco telling Americans that smoking was NOT addictive. When they now need to be honest, they “spin” the truth.

Mr. Murphy told jurors that “the conduct of RJ Reynolds had no effect on Mr. Hall”.

So, producing the “best drug delivery system ever invented”; denying cigarettes are addictive; denying that cigarettes cause cancer; producing ads that romanticized smoking; all the other outrageous conduct on the part of Big Tobacco; Mr. Murphy maintains none of that “had any effect” on Mr. Hall.

The jurors heard all Big Tobacco’s evidence, but they apparently did not accept the spin, the the manipulation or the Big Tobacco’s revisions on history.

The jurors delivered a verdict which probably went something like: we find on behalf of the plaintiffs in the amount of $3.5 million in human damages and $12.5 million in punitive damages.

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* This amount represents gross verdicts and settlements obtained on behalf of clients over the last 40 years, without adjustment for fees, costs, or medical liens. In some cases, verdicts were amended or appealed, or were not fully recoverable due to the insolvency of defendants. The accounts of recent trials, verdicts and settlements contained in this website are intended to illustrate the experience of the firm in a variety of litigation areas. Each case is unique, and the results in one case do not necessarily indicate the quality or value of any other case. Omitting clients' names and/or defendants' names are the result of requests for anonymity.

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